Mawlana [Rashid Ahmad] Gangohi would strongly emphasise abundant invocation of blessings and peace (salawat) upon the Messenger of Allah (Allah bless him and grant him peace) to his disciples, devotees, friends and sincere seekers. He would describe the invoking of blessings and peace upon the Messenger of Allah (Allah bless him and grant him peace) as being beneficial for both worlds.

He once advised in a letter ‘‘invoke blessings and peace upon the Messenger of Allah (Allah bless him and grant him peace) regularly, for that is extremely beneficial for the needs of both worlds.’’ (Maktubat Akabir-e-Deoband, (Deoband: Mi‘raj Book Depot), p. 56)

Hakim al-Ummat Mawlana [Ashraf ‘Ali] Thanawi would say of Mawlana Rashid Ahmad Gangohi: ‘‘I saw that Mawlana Gangohi would always be reciting a wird (litany) of salawat and that he talked very little.’’ (Wa‘z al-Nur, p.20)

His disciples had been instructed by him to invoke blessings and peace upon the Messenger of Allah (Allah bless him and grant him peace) at least three hundred times a day.

[…] Mawlana Gangohi would say, ‘‘If you are unable to invoke blessings and peace this many times, you should not go without invoking blessings and peace at least once [a day].’’ He would say, ‘‘we are indebted to the Messenger of Allah (Allah bless him and grant him peace). If you are then miserly in invoking blessings and peace upon him, it is a matter of great disrespect and loss.’’ He preferred the Durud-e-Ibrahimi, which is [usually] recited in salat (prayer). (Bis Barey Musalman, p. 205)

In the 1970s, there was an advert on TV for a popular brand of moisturising cream. The advert sought to show how great the cream was by first showing us a dry autumn leaf which, upon being scrunched in the palm of the hand, crumbled into pieces.

Next came another dry leaf, this time the moisturising cream was applied to it. After it was squeezed, one saw the dry leaf gently unfolding back to its original shape. Themessage: If this is what the cream can do to a dry leaf, imagine what it could do for your dry or crinkled skin. I suspect many were sold on this moisturiser … including a young, teenage me!

The idea of moistening or revitalising faces and hands also applies to spiritual hearts. For the remembrance of Allah – dhikru’Llah– nourishes and revitalises the heart like nothing else. Indeed, it is its very lifeline. So much so, that Ibn Taymiyyah once made this following comparison:

‘Dhikr is to the heart as water is to a fish. Don’t you see what happens to a fish when it is taken out of water?’*

Islam’s masters of the heart teach us, then, to be constant in remembering Allah and in invoking Him. Consistent dhikr, with the required courtesy or adab towards the One being invoked, is key. As commitment to dhikr grows and deepens, and as souls begin to be illumined by the mention of His holy Name, Allah will cover our weaknesses with His might, cloth our lowliness in His glory, conceal our ignorance with His knowledge, heal the anger of our ego with His clemency, and calm the agitations of our heart with His assurance and serenity; such that one will be given to taste the bliss of the eternal realm whilst still living in this earthly abode.

Do not be sad. If you are poor, then someone else is immersed in debt. If you do not own your own means of transportation then someone else has been deprived of his legs. If you have reason to complain concerning the pains of sickness then someone else has been bedridden for years. And if you have lost a child, then someone else has lost many children, for instance in a single car accident.

Do not be sad. You are a Muslim who believes in Allah, His messengers, His angels, the Hereafter and Preordainment – both the good and bad of it. While you are blessed with this faith, which is the greatest of blessings, others disbelieve in Allah, discredit the messengers, differ among themselves concerning the Book, deny the Hereafter, and deviate in their understanding of Divine Preordainment.

Do not be sad, because if you are, you disturb your soul and heart, and you prevent yourself from sleeping.

One of the Arab poets said:

“How often is the young man overcome with despair when afflicted, and with Allah is the way out.

The situation becomes unbearable and when the rope tightens it snaps, and throughout, he never thought that he would be saved.”

Bismillah most of us have lost conviction in the Power of Dua, it is something we turn to only as a last resort, once all our other efforts have failed, for our pious predecessors Dua was the first resort before any action, so much so that if they felt thirsty they would make Dua to Allah and then get up to pour a glass water for themselves. The following is a nice reminder.

The Most You Can Do Is Du’a! – Abeer Sadary

“The least you can do is duʿāʾ”

NO! The MOST you can do is duʿāʾ; the GREATEST you can do is duʿāʾ.

Never underestimate the power of duʿāʾ!

Duʿāʾ is not a series of blank, meaningless words uttered half-heartedly by the tongue; it’s when your heart is in sync with your tongue is in sync with your actions — that’s a recipe for a successful duʿāʾ.

As the great ʿOmar b. al-Khaṭṭāb used to say,
❝I’m not worried about receiving an answer but I’m worried about being able to invoke Allāh successfully.❞

Shortcomings in asking are our own, because Allāh has promised that He will answer.

﴾Is He [not best] who responds to the desperate one when he calls upon Him and removes evil…?!﴿ an-Naml:62

“I’ve seen my respected father Mufti-e-‘Azam Pakistan Hadhrat Maulana Mufti Muhammad Shafi’ Sahab نوراللہ مرقدہ doing this [following] ‘Amal his whole life long. That whenever any issue arised in which a decision had to be made immediately and from two ways one had to be chosen, then at that time he used to close his eyes for a few moments.

Now, the person who was not aware of his habit had no idea what is happening while the eyes were closed. But in reality he would close his eyes and resort to Allah Ta’ala for a very short while and just inside his heart invoke Allah Ta’ala, ‘O Allah! This turmoil came up to me and I don’t understand what to decide. You put the thing in my heart, which according to You is better.’ That’s all, just inside the heart this little and brief Istikhara was done.”

O you who are in the company of their worldly goods and great expectations! The appointed times of death will soon come and separate you from your hopes. Hurry up before the arrival of these appointed times. Look at sudden death. Death is not necessarily preceded by an illness. Iblīs is your enemy so do not heed to his advice. Do not trust him for he is not trustworthy. Beware of him. He wants you to die while you are standing on the foot of heedlessness, disobedience, and disbelief. Do not be forgetful of your enemy for his sword will not be prevented from hitting the truthful person or the disbeliever. Only a few individuals escape it. He removed your father Adam and your mother Eve (prayer and peace be on our Prophet and on them) from Paradise and he works diligently to prevent you from entering it. He urges you to commit disobedience, sins, disbelief, and noncompliance. All acts of disobedience are attributed to him, after Allah’s decree and His destiny. All creatures are subject to affliction except Allah’s sincere servants who have realized their servanthood to Him (mighty and glorified is He), so he has no authority over them. At times, he can cause them some harm, for when it is time for a decreed matter to take place, the eye becomes blind. His effect on them touches only the body, not the heart or the innermost being; only matters relating to this world, not matters pertaining to the hereafter; only matters relating to the creatures, not matters related to the Creator (mighty and glorified is He). He approaches the creatures mainly through the attachment to this world and the lower self. Seeking this world is a burning fire.

O young men, occupy yourselves with what concerns and is good for you. Preparing for what follows death is of concern to you, striving against your lower self is of concern to you, paying attention to your faults is of concern to you, but attending to the faults of other people is of no concern for you. Remember death and work in preparation for what is after it, for the Prophet (Allah’s prayer and peace be on him) has said: “The intelligent person is one who calls himself to account and works in preparation for what follows death, whereas the incompetent person is one who lets his lower self follow its passion, yet still wishes for forgiveness from Allah.”

And your Lord said: “Call upon Me, I will answer you. Verily, those who scorn My worship they will surely enter Hell in humiliation!
( Soorah Ghafir 40:60)

Allah encourages His servants to call upon Him, and He guarantees to respond.

Sufyan Ath-Thawri used to say:

“O You Who love most those who ask of You, and O You Who hate most those who do not ask of You, and there is no one like that apart from You, O Lord.”

This was recorded by Ibn Abi Hatim.

Similarly; the poet said:

“Allah hates not to be asked, and the son of Adam hates to be asked.”

Qatadah said that Ka`b Al-Ahbar said,

“This Ummah has been given three things which were not given to any nation before, only to Prophets.

(1) When Allah sent a Prophet, He said to him, `You are a witness over your nation.’ But you have been made witnesses over mankind;

(2) It was said to the Prophets individually, `Allah has not laid upon you any hardship in religion,’ but He said to this entire Ummah: (and﴿ Allah ﴾has not laid upon you in religion any hardship) (22:78) and

(3) It was said to the Prophets individually; `Call upon Me, I will answer you,’ but it was said to this Ummah, (Call upon Me, I will answer you).”

This was recorded by Ibn Abi Hatim.

Imam Ahmad recorded that Al-Nu`man bin Bashir, may Allah be pleased with him, said, “The Messenger of Allah said:

(Indeed the supplication is the worship. )” Then he recited,

(And your Lord said: “Call upon Me, I will answer you. Verily, those who scorn My worship they will surely enter Hell in humiliation!”).

This was also recorded by the Sunan compilers; At-Tirmdhi, An-Nasa’i, Ibn Majah, and Ibn Abi Hatim and Ibn Jarir. At-Tirmidhi said, “Hasan Sahih.” It was also recorded by Abu Dawud, At-Tirmidhi, An-Nasa’i, and Ibn Jarir with a different chain of narration. Allah’s saying:

(Verily, those who scorn My worship) means, `those who are too proud to call on Me and single Me out,’

(they will surely enter Hell in humiliation!) means, in disgrace and insignificance. Imam Ahmad recorded from `Amr bin Shu`ayb from his father, from his grandfather that the Prophet said:

(The proud will be gathered on the Day of Resurrection like ants in the image of people, and everything will be stepping on them, humiliating them, until they enter a prison in Hell called Bulas. They will be fed flames of fire, and given for drink a paste of insanity dripping from the people the Fire.)”

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